Medium
What Medium is
Medium is a publishing platform for reading and writing on the web, Android, and iOS. It offers a free plan plus memberships, custom domains, basic theme customization, scheduled posts, built-in memberships, and blog analytics. Writers can create or contribute to publications, connect a custom domain, import a story with its original date and a canonical link, and embed supported third-party URLs such as GitHub Gists, CodePen, SoundCloud, Google Drive, and Airtable. Published stories may reach followers, email subscribers, feeds, emails, topic pages, and apps. The Partner Program shares part of membership dues when members read a writer’s members-only story for at least 30 seconds, with earnings potentially increasing through longer reads and positive interactions. Medium Member includes unlimited stories, ad-free reading, audio, offline reading, custom domains, and publication creation. Friend of Medium adds four-times-more writer support and Friend Links. Instagram embeds, embed code, and scripts are not supported.
Who it suits
Medium suits writers and readers who want hosted publishing, custom domains, scheduled posts, memberships, and analytics. It also fits readers seeking member-only stories, audio, offline access, and a community option.
What it does well
- Free plan available
- Custom domains and basic themes
- Scheduled publishing and analytics
- Built-in memberships and publications
- Web, Android, and iOS access
What to know first
- Instagram embeds are unsupported
- Embed code and scripts are not allowed
- Theme customization is basic
- Users must be at least 13
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Friend of Medium | $150$105 for 1 year; then $150/year · All Medium member benefits · writers earn 4x when you read their stories · TK writing app · share member-only stories · custom app icons | $105 a year |
| Medium Member | $50$35 for 1 year; then $50/year · Read member-only stories · support writers · audio narrations · offline reading · Mastodon community · custom domain · create publications | $35 a year |
As medium.com lists them, read 11 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Verdict
Medium combines publishing tools, distribution, memberships, and reader benefits across web and mobile apps. Review its embedding limits and membership options to ensure they match your writing or reading plans.
Facts from Medium's own pages
- Account age requirement
- Medium’s Terms of Service say users must be at least 13 years old to use the services. · policy.medium.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Audience
- Medium says over 100 million people connect and share their wisdom on the platform each month. · medium.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Blog analytics
- Yes · medium.com, 22 Sept 2026
- Built-in memberships
- Yes · medium.com, 22 Sept 2026
- Custom domain
- Yes · medium.com, 22 Sept 2026
- Distribution
- Published stories can reach followers and email subscribers and may also be recommended through Medium’s feeds, emails, topic pages, and apps. · help.medium.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Earnings criteria
- Members-only stories earn when a member reads for 30 seconds or more, and earnings may increase with longer reads and positive interactions. · medium.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Embed limit
- Medium does not support Instagram embeds or embedding content using embed code, and it does not allow users to run scripts on the site. · help.medium.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Free plan
- Yes · medium.com, 22 Sept 2026
- Importing
- The import tool can bring in a story from another site, backdate it to its original date, and add a canonical link; users must have the right to import the content. · help.medium.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The editor supports URL-based embeds from third-party providers, including GitHub Gists, CodePen, SoundCloud, Google Drive, and Airtable. · help.medium.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Medium describes itself as a home for human stories and ideas where people can read and write. · medium.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Reader features
- Membership includes access to member-only stories, audio narrations, offline reading in the Medium app, and a Mastodon community. · medium.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Post scheduling
- Yes · medium.com, 22 Sept 2026
- Security and privacy
- Medium’s terms direct users to its Privacy Policy for details about how it collects, uses, shares, and processes information. · policy.medium.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Support
- Medium’s Help Center provides product guides and lets users submit a request for help. · help.medium.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Theme customization
- basic · medium.com, 22 Sept 2026
- Writer earnings
- The Partner Program shares a portion of membership dues when Medium members read a writer’s stories. · medium.com, 11 Oct 2026
- Writing and publishing
- Medium says its publishing tools let writers create and contribute to publications and connect a custom domain to their profile. · medium.com, 11 Oct 2026
Where Medium stands on Freedom251
- Writing Apps#10 of 135
- Blogging Platforms#12 of 125